Kayla Harrison fighting Cris Cyborg is a fight that has been spoken about for many years, but looks to be completely off the table at this stage.
The former PFL and Bellator champions could’ve put on one of the biggest fights possible outside of the UFC but with Harrison signing to the MMA leader, it wasn’t possible even with Cyborg joining the PFL in the Bellator acquisition.
Now, on October 19, Cyborg will fight a PFL champion but it will instead be the only woman to have beaten the former Olympic Judoka during her pro career.
Larissa Pacheco has won back-to-back PFL tournaments including her shock upset win over the former champ in 2023.
Though Harrison may now be competing at the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division, she has got some thoughts on this match-up between the two greatest rivals of her career so far.
Kayla Harrison Picks Larissa Pacheco To Defeat Cris Cyborg, Says Age A Key Factor
In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Harrison picked Pacheco to get the better of Cyborg when they clash at PFL: Battle Of The Giants.
The bout is set to be the co-main event for the debut of the promotion’s PPV Super Fights division, which will see both the winner of this fight and the main event between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira receive a new Super Fights belt.
Harrison said that as long as Pacheco hasn’t lost her dedication, after being able to earn a lot of money, she has the edge in this fight.
“I think Pacheco wins. She’s young, I mean unless she’s been goofing off, you know. Couple mil will do that sometimes. Couple mil in the bank account makes it hard to get out of bed but she’s young, she’s hungry, she keeps getting better, she’s got real power. Cyborg’s at the end of her career.”
Harrison then elaborated on the idea that in her opinion, Cyborg is in the final stages of her career now at 39 years old, which gives Pacheco an advantage.
The Brazilian MMA icon made her pro debut back in 2005, whereas Pacheco wouldn’t make hers until seven years after in 2012.
“Yeah I think she’s a little bit older and I just think that we like we haven’t seen a lot of progress from her like I don’t see her fight IQ growing. I haven’t seen progression really, she fights the same way now that she fought, you know, however long ago so I think Pacheco is gonna win.”
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